Dachstein region

Missing Bodo Hell: search ends in vain

Bodo Hell wanted to search for cattle and has since disappeared.(Bild: Sigrid Landl / Droschl Verlag)

Despite an intensive search by emergency services for the Viennese author and alpine dairyman Bodo Hell, who is missing in the Dachstein region, no signs of life have been found. As the detailed search also yielded no results, the search will only be continued in small groups and after new clues emerge, according to the mountain rescue service.

On Monday, the search for the 81-year-old writer, who had been missing since Friday, had to be called off due to approaching thunderstorms. "On Tuesday, the search teams set off again into the area," summarizes Christoph Preimesberger from the Upper Austrian Mountain Rescue Service.

Around 60 rescue workers from the mountain rescue service and the Alpine and air police searched the extensive eastern Dachstein plateau using drones, search dogs and helicopters. A helicopter from the Austrian Armed Forces was also deployed to help transport the search teams.

Area too vast
Although the primary search area was limited to the area of the eastern Speikberg/Hirschberg due to mobile phone evaluations and witness statements, the terrain is very difficult to search due to mountain pine fields, sinkholes and rock steps. The area, which still covers several square kilometers, has been classified as the most likely area for the disappearance of the famous writer.

The friends do not give up
Shortly before 6 p.m., the search areas had been worked through without success. Some smaller points in the area will still be searched with a helicopter on Wednesday. After that, no more large-scale searches are planned for the time being. However, the search for the shepherd and author will continue in smaller groups. Despite the great commitment of the rescue services, the search for Bodo Hell has so far been unsuccessful.